1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation system and a method for displaying map information, in which the map information includes areas representing a top view of a map detail and lines representing a grid of traffic routes.
2. Description of Related Art
Navigation systems have been widely used in previous years, in particular for use in motor vehicles. The basic functions “position finding,” “destination selection,” “route computation,” and “destination guidance” are implemented in the known systems. A digital map of the road network is required for all functions, the digital map typically being placed and stored on a CD-ROM, a DVD, or an HD.
In addition, the display is possible as a colored map. Depending on the system, display of the map on a color monitor may take place over a scale range of approximately 1:8,000 to 1:16,000,000. This display is helpful in order to obtain an overview of the route in the nearer and farther surroundings, depending on the scale. The orientation is facilitated by topographic information, e.g., built-up areas, bodies of water, forests, and railroad lines.
In current navigation systems having a map display, the information is displayed in the form of a vector map on a color monitor. The vectorization makes possible the change of the display scale based on the same underlying stored data.
In this map display, the total information is composed of areas, lines, and dots. The region to be displayed is characterized by different coloring of the areas. A built-up area, i.e., a town, is often colored red. Bodies of water are indicated by blue areas and fields and forests are indicated by different shades of green. Lines of different thicknesses and colors are used in the display to indicate different roads, railroad lines, or rivers. Individual dots or icons are inserted into the overall map display as a further layout element for POIs (points of interest), e.g., gas stations, repair shops, hotels, etc.
The area display is highly simplified and hence very abstract. Especially in a display having higher resolution, i.e., in particular of the nearer surroundings, additional information which would facilitate the orientation of the user is unobtainable from the display.